"Left Behind"

Chapter 7

The next morning gleamed sunny and bright. The drenching rains of the day before had washed everything clean.

Tess had not argued with Tal on his decision. They had not talked any further after Tess had agreed to take him back. She'd silently helped him back to bed, and then quietly slipped off to bed herself. She was exhausted, and fell into a dreamless sleep without ever changing out of her still somewhat damp clothing.

Morning had a way of giving things a fresh start, though. She felt better after showering and putting on clean clothes. Tal was already awake, and sitting on the edge of his bed. Their eyes met, and they looked at each other a bit awkwardly for a long moment. It felt as if they'd shared a great intimacy the night before, and now it was the morning after. Tess took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, composing herself, then walked over to Tal.

"You've been wanting to shower," Tess said to break the silence, "do you want to shower..." She tried to tack on the words 'before you go,' but had difficulties getting them out.

But, Tal nodded. "Yes, please, a shower would be great." Then, he smiled in his charming way, "For both of us." He blushed furiously, then, realizing the double-entendre of what he'd said. He shook his head, "No, I meant no offense, I mean I haven't showered-"

Tess laughed, and touched Tal's arm lightly, "I know what you meant. Come on, I'll help you to the shower." She helped him up, and walked him into her bedroom. She could see his curiosity, as he looked around her bedroom. He tried to be subtle about it, but he was glancing at everything they passed. Tess found it all very amusing. Tal was curious about everything. She walked Tal all the way over to the shower. "Hang on, I'm going to get you a towel, and a razor so you can shave."

Tal ran a hand over the facial hair that had grown in over the past ten days. "Too much?"

Tess laughed, "I'm not even sure I remember what you look like under all that."

Tal blushed, suddenly eager to shave and see her reaction. He felt a pang when he remembered he was leaving for good after he finished his shower. 'It's all for the best,' he reminded himself, 'It's what's best for Tess.'

"There's shampoo and soap already in there. Sorry if it's not the most manly stuff. It's all I have," Tess said, still standing there in front of him.

Tal was waiting for her to leave so he could get undressed.

"Do you want any help getting your clothes off?" Tess asked, feeling reluctant, for some reason, to leave the bathroom.

Tal had to stop himself from groaning out loud at her question. "Uh...no," Tal answered, in a strangled voice, "I'll manage... Thanks, though."

"You sure?" Tess asked.

Tal didn't trust himself to speak, so he just nodded, afraid to even meet Tess' eyes. He was starting to get a visual of himself and Tess in the shower. He grabbed the towel from Tess and placed it in front of his growing erection. "No! Really, I'm fine. Thanks! I'm going to shower now." Tal said, taking a step like he was going to get in the shower. He hoped Tess would take the hint and get going. Didn't the woman realize how hot she was? This was torture!

"Oh, yes, right! Sorry, I'll get out of here so you can have your privacy. I'm going. Just yell if you need me to come in and help you, OK?"

Tal nodded, and watched Tess leave. He breathed a huge sigh of relief when she closed the door. He undressed with trembling fingers and willed his erection to go down. When it wouldn't, he figured he'd just have to take care of it in the shower. Hopefully Tess would respect his privacy and not come in during the middle of his shower to 'check' on him. Well, if she did, she'd get an eyeful, that's for sure. He couldn't help it, though. Tal soaped up his hair, and then used the soap on his hands to lubricate his stiff erect member. Giving the door one last peek to make sure it was shut, he closed his eyes. He fantasized about having Tess in the shower with him. It was hard not to groan out loud at the fantasy. It took no time at all until he felt hot semen running out over his hands. He felt a little better, some of the sexual tension that had been building up relieved. He then finished washing up and shaved using a mirror in the shower. He was surprised by his reflection. He hadn't realized he'd grown that much facial hair. But, almost two weeks without shaving would bring about some changes. He carefully trimmed off all the hair, and felt much more himself when it was all gone. Finally done, Tal shut the water off. It was the longest shower he'd ever taken. He hoped it was OK that he was in the shower that long. He assumed civilians were a bit less strict on showering time than in the military. He dried off and then wrapped the towel around his waist.

Tess looked up when Tal appeared at her bedroom door.

"That was quick," she said.

Tal found this amusing. Civilian showering time must be even longer than he thought.

Tess' mouth went dry. Tal was still slightly glistening from his shower. Wearing nothing but that towel, she could see his muscular physique in all its' glory. Even with much of his bandages still on, he was absolutely magnificent.

"Is something wrong?" Tal asked.

"Uh, no," Tess said, slightly embarrassed, recovering quickly. How could she tell him she was ogling him? "Uh...I'm... uh, just not used to seeing you without the beard."

Tal reached up to his face and felt his chin. He smiled, "Yes, it felt good to shave. Thank you again for letting me use your shower."

For a moment, he got an odd look on his face that Tess couldn't place.

"Uh, anytime," Tess said quickly, but then realized there wouldn't be another time. Tess quickly picked up the pile she had laid out. "I have your clothes here. I cleaned and repaired them." She placed the pile on his bed, and then helped him over to the bed. He wouldn't be sleeping there anymore, but it had been his spot for so long it just seemed an appropriate place for him to get dressed. "OK, I assume you want to put this back on," she said, sitting down next to him on the bed, and showing him his bodysuit. "Most of it is still intact, except for the back, which is completely destroyed. So, I have a substitute for you. It's a work shirt. It is not as thick as the other material, but it's not too bad. It's also black. It belonged to my father. It had some holes, but I repaired them all while you were in the shower, so it is ready for you to wear now. Is it OK?"

Tal nodded gratefully, appreciating Tess's thoughtfulness, and attention to detail.

She helped him up off the bed. It was difficult for him to get to a standing position on his own, since his abdominal muscles/ribs weren't fully healed. But, once he was up, he was fine.

"OK, here are your boxers," Tess said, blushing a bit, as she handed him his underwear. She wished she had thought to give him those before he headed into the bathroom. Tal blushed as he accepted them. "Your socks. And, you have the rest of your armor. Did I miss anything?"

Tal shook his head.

"Can I help you get dressed?" Tess asked.

Tal remembered what had happened to him in the bathroom, "No. Thank you. I'll manage. But, thank you, Tess. You've been a huge help. If I get stuck, I'll ask for help."

"I'm going into the kitchen to make breakfast. I'll make sure to give you your, uh, privacy." Since Tal had mentioned it in the bathroom, Tess figured it was important to him.

"Thank you, Tess," Tal said, then he grabbed her arm as she was walking away, "although, it's probably a moot point since you saw me in all my glory for a good seven days or so when I first came here." He shrugged, smiled and blushed.

Tess laughed, ruffled his hair, and said: "I'm going to make a huge stack of Kaliberry pancakes. You better be hungry, Tal." She tried to memorize the image of Tal blushing as he smiled, so she could never forget how he looked in that moment.

She was just starting to make an impressive tower of pancakes, when she heard Tal admit: "OK, I could use some help."

He'd gotten his boxers on, thankfully. But was having difficulties getting the different pieces of his bodysuit on, since he didn't have the mobility to bend or twist at the waist.

"Come over here," Tess said brightly, hoping she sounded casual, patting one of the kitchen bar stools. Tal started heading over, carrying his bodysuit. Tess flipped over her latest pancake, then went over to assist him.

She walked him over, liking the way it felt to have her arm around him when he was wearing so little. He had no extra body fat anywhere on his frame. He'd lost weight over the past ten days. But, it just defined his muscles even more. Tess was struck by his pure masculine presence.

"Hang on a sec," Tess said, heading back to the stove, to rescue a pancake before it burnt. She flipped it onto the growing stack on the plate. She saw Tal sniff the air appreciatively. She poured batter for another pancake into the pan. She pulled a pancake off the top of the stack. "OK, I'll let you try one early." She held it up to him, and offered him a bite. Tal smiled and took a huge bite. He closed his eyes, and she could tell he was just relishing the sweet taste of the pancake. His face just lit up with pleasure. He smiled and opened up his mouth again. She shoved the rest of the pancake in his mouth. "OK, that's it until breakfast time." Tal chewed the rest of the pancake, and smiled again. He eyed the huge stack of pancakes appreciatively, and also eyed how much batter was still left in the bowl. She could tell he was calculating how many pancakes she could make total, and how big that stack was going to get. She was very pleased he liked her cooking so much. She flipped her pancake over, and then turned her attention back to the bodysuit.

"OK, let's get you dressed," she said, quite pleased she got to help dress him after all. They got the suit on quickly, much too quickly for Tess' liking. She buttoned him into the black work shirt from her father, enjoying getting to run her fingers over his muscular chest. She felt Tal shiver.

"Are you cold?" she asked.

Tal shook his head quickly. She put a hand up to check him for fever, but he seemed fine. Tal just looked away quickly, and wouldn't meet her eyes.

"OK, I assume you'll want your armor?" Tess asked.

Tal nodded.

"Is after breakfast OK? We should get started on these pancakes while they're still hot."

Tal's eyes lit up at the mention of the pancakes. Tess grabbed out two plates, and set up a casual breakfast dining for them at the breakfast bar. She put the towering stack of pancakes in front of him, while she continued to cook a few more.

"OK, Dig in. Take as many as you like," she said.

She went and retrieved sweet Kaliberry syrup and two sweetened cups of caf. Tal loaded up his plate with pancakes, but did not start eating.

"What's wrong?" Tess said.

Tal loaded the remainder of the pancakes onto Tess' plate.

"I couldn't eat without you," Tal said simply. He folded his hands in front of him, and waited patiently.

Tess smiled at his constant thoughtfulness. She turned off the stove, and slid into the chair next to him. Tal poured syrup over Tess' pancakes first, and then over his own.

"Thank you for making breakfast, Tess. They look wonderful."

Tess' heart wanted to break for the simple warmth and domesticity of the moment. How could Tal not see all the goodness there was inside of him?

Tal held up his cup of coffee, and saluted Tess, "Thank you again, Tess, for everything you've done for me. To you, Tess." He nodded respectively to her, took a sip, and then dug into his food.

"These are delicious," Tal said appreciatively, around huge mouthfuls of food. His first two pancakes were already gone. Tess watched him eat, while she ate her own breakfast. She was hungrier than she'd thought, and she realized it had been a long time since she'd eaten Kaliberry pancakes. It felt good to eat a meal with someone to share it with like this. She tried not to think ahead to later that day, and their inevitable separation. She handed the plate up to Tal.

"More?"

Tal nodded, his mouth too full to speak. He speared a couple of more with his fork, and added them to his plate. She handed Tal the syrup. She watched him take another bite, and close his eyes with pleasure as all the tastes hit his tongue.

"You sure enjoy your food, Tal," Tess said with a smile.

"It's a clone thing," Tal said, around bites, "we're always hungry."

Tess looked at him in surprise. Up until now, and the little bit he'd shared the night before, he hadn't freely volunteered much information about his life in the military.

"How come?" Tess prompted gently, curious to learn more. She picked up the caf pitcher and refilled Tal's cup.

"Because of our rapid aging," Tal said casually, grabbing the syrup and drizzling a little more around the edges of his pancakes.

Tal took a swig, of his caf and smiled.

"Ah, caf, I've missed it." He looked up at Tess, and noticed she was looking at him, puzzled. "What is it?" he asked, looking down at his plate, then himself, "did I do something wrong?"

Tess shook her head, quickly, feeling saddened that Tal was always so quick to judge himself and think he'd done wrong. "No, Tal. Not at all." She quickly speared more pancakes on his plate. Tal smiled. "What did you mean that clones were always hunger because of your rapid aging?"

"Oh, that," Tal said, "clones are aged rapidly so we can ready to fight faster. We're grown in vats and all that." Tal said, vaguely gesturing with his hands. He picked up the syrup, and drizzled it over his latest stack of pancakes. "Wow, we really made a dent in that stack, huh?"

Tess laughed, "Yes, Tal we did," thinking she'd finished maybe two herself, and the rest of the tower of Kaliberry pancakes had been eaten by Tal. She poured Tal more caf. "Tal?"

Tal looked up. Tess reached over, and wiped a bit of syrup off the side of his mouth with a clean napkin. He smiled, "Thanks."

Tess smiled back, "Tal, how old are you?"

"Old," Tal said with sigh, looking resigned, and sad. He took another sip of his coffee. "Never thought I'd outlive Cooper and Tech and the others..." He shook his head, looking very far away for a moment.

"Well, exactly how old are you?" Tess asked, a growing knot of dread growing in her stomach. Some of the odd inconsistencies in Tal's behavior were starting to make sense to her.

Tal shrugged, and sighed sadly again, sounding very resigned and world-weary. He wouldn't meet her eyes. "I'm 13."

Tess felt her stomach drop out, and she put a hand over her mouth. At that moment, a buzzer went off at the stove. Tess took off like a shot, and headed to the kitchen. She pulled something out of the oven, and then just stood there, facing away from Tal, her shoulders shaking.

Tal stared at her back, retracing their conversation in his head. "Tess, did I say something wrong?"

"No," Tess said, quickly. Her voice sounded choked and shaky, and she wouldn't turn around.

"Tess, whatever it is, I'm sorry." Tal pushed himself up with his good hand, stifling a gasp of pain from his ribs. Tess was instantly by his side.

"Tal, you should have waited for me," she lectured, her hands beside him, supporting him.

Tal turned, his hands reaching for her face. "You've been crying," he said, confused, feeling the wet spots on her cheeks. "Why?"

Tess shook her head. She wiped the spots with the back of her hand, and sniffed, "We should finished getting you dressed, right?"

"Tess?" Tal said. But, Tess was already steering him away, and back toward his bed. She wouldn't discuss it. He knew he had no right to push the issue, since he had chosen to leave. She helped him get his armor on, piece by piece. With each piece, she felt like she was further sealing Tal away from her. She finally handed him his helmet. He clipped it to his belt. She took a step back and looked at the transformation. She sighed heavily, and then quickly wiped at her eyes again.

"Tess?" Tal questioned again, worried. "Are you going to be OK?"

Tess just shook her head. Then quickly said, "I, uh, made you something to bring with you, so you wouldn't be hungry. Hang on, I'll go wrap them up."

Tal watched her go. She headed into the kitchen. Tal watched as she wrapped up the baked goods she'd pulled out of the oven earlier.

"Kaliberry muffins," she said, quietly, subdued. "My mom's recipe." She walked back over and handed him the neatly wrapped bundle. It was still warm.

"Thank you, Tess, for everything," Tal said. He wanted to kiss her, and to feel her warmth, just as he was feeling the warmth from the bundle of muffins she had just handed him. The muffins seemed so symbolic of the warmth she had extended to him over the past week and a half. They stood there looking at each, and the moment stretched on. But, Tal knew that in reality, nothing had changed. "You've given me something good that I can always think back on. That is a very precious gift."

Tess nodded, choking up again. "Let's go," she whispered, nodding her head, and helping Tal out to the speeder. Tal didn't look back as they pulled away from the farmhouse.

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